Department of Pathology

Department Faculty

Thomas J. Belbin, Ph.D.

Professional Interests

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) constitute an anatomically heterogenous group of neoplasms that share in common a causal association with tobacco and alcohol exposure. The clinical course of these neoplasms is difficult to predict based on established prognostic clinicopathological criteria. Unfortunately, the 5-year survival rate has improved only marginally over the past decade; as a result, it is estimated that over 45,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths will occur each year in the United States from HNSCC. To date, there are few molecular markers that can be reliably used in either early detection or as indicators of prognosis.

Evidence has now established that aberrant DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling associated with promoters, or first exons of genes, is one mechanism frequently associated with the transcriptional silencing of critical genes in HNSCC and other cancers. One goal of our lab is the genome-wide analysis of aberrant DNA methylation events in head and neck tumor genomes. These “epigenetic signatures” can be used to identify CpG island sequences frequently hypermethylated in HNSCC, and to characterize previously indistinguishable subtypes of this disease. The long-term goal of our research is to identify genetic and epigenetic signatures associated with successful treatment and patient outcome in this disease, as well as those signatures that indicate that drug treatment will not work. This should lead to more unique gene discoveries and, in the future, new targets for anti-tumor drugs.

Contact

Einstein Research Profiles (ERP) is one of the innovative technologies to create collaborative bridges within and across the entire bench-to-bedside-to-population spectrum of research. The ERP website has been developed in partnership with Collexis to give investigators easy access to PubMed publications, coauthor networks, information about NIH grants, and research networks.